It doesn’t happen very often, but a local police officer actually witnessed an incident happen that he ended up investigating and reporting.
It was Wednesday afternoon at 2:34 and patrolman Nate Simmons was on Lawrence Street when he observed a Mack truck driving west on Lawrence with its boom extended upward.
Simmons said the truck made a wide right hand turn onto Sidney Street and proceed northward. Then, the truck’s boom struck the electrical transmission lines on Sidney, bringing them to the ground , snapping a utility pole and damaging another.
Debris from the poles also hit the ground, adding to the electrical transmission pieces scattering around the area. A transformer blew as well.
Simmons reported there were wires lying in the roadway, and two fires were started as a result, one on each side of the roadway. The incident interrupted power to approximately 700 customers, including businesses in the area, many of which were out for the day. (Click here for more information.)
Power was also interrupted at the White River Medical Center and its accompanying offices and services, causing the hospital to revert to emergency generator power. Traffic in the area was hampered as well.
Officer Simmons said no one was injured in the incident.
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